The present invention relates to hand trucks and more particularly to a special duty hand truck for maneuvering folding tables and folding chairs.
Folding tables and chairs are designed to be opened and closed by an individual working alone, but tables are designed to be opened and closed while resting them on the one longitudinal edge of the table surface. However, erecting the table from the resting position to the setup position in the work area requires more than one person. Likewise, moving the setup table from one location to another requires more than one person, especially if the table has been set with linen and tableware such as cups, dishes, silverware, and centerpieces. Furthermore, moving the folded tables through narrow passageways between the work area and the storage area is a difficult task for a single person. Placing the tables on the storage rack in the storage area can best be done by more than one person.
Current methods of transporting tables do not provide a satisfactory means for the transport of a table in the setup position by one person, when set with tableware and linen. Furthermore, there is currently not a method of erecting a table from the resting position to the setup position, and vice versa, by a single person. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,085, for a xe2x80x9cHandcart for Banquet Tablesxe2x80x9d issued to Thomas A. Rodriguez and Angelo J. Zavaglia, discloses a cart in which you tilt the table to load it on one side of the cart and raise a brace in the center, wherein you can then tip the table level by lifting the opposite side of the table off the floor and wheel the table to a new location. This would not be an acceptable method of carting a table that had already been set with tableware and provides no means to break down or setup the table from storage. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,037,117, for a xe2x80x9cFolding Table Caddiexe2x80x9d issued to Richard C. Hershberger discloses a device upon which folding tables may be stacked, stored, and transported when placed on their side; however, no way of setting up, breaking down, or transporting the tables while upright is provided, and it would take more than one person to conveniently place the tables on the caddie.
Since frequently it will only be one person who is available to perform the tasks for a banquet hall, there is a need for a hand truck table mover that can allow a single person to breakdown, setup, and transport a table whether it is in the stacked position, or if it is set up and set with tableware.
The present invention provides a hand truck which may be used to facilitate the setup of tables and movement of tables from one area to another by a single worker in a convenient manner. Furthermore, the present invention provides a hand truck which can move tables in either the folded position or the a setup position with minimum strength requirement by a table handler.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a means for an individual to transport a setup table, which may have tableware on top of it.
It is a further objective of the present invention to provide a means for an individual to set up and break down a table having folding legs.
It is yet another objective of the present invention to provide a means for an individual to transport a folded table in the longitudinal direction through narrow doorways and passageways.
To this end, a hand truck table mover is provided. The hand truck table mover includes a base section, which has wheels journaled upon it. An elongated main prop assembly is attached to the base section and extends outwardly from the base section where it terminates in two spaced apart perches for supporting the table. The main prop assembly is capable of being pivoted from a first position to a second position. Also included is an elongated auxiliary prop assembly which is capable of pivoting from a first position to a second position, and is mounted on the base. The auxiliary prop assembly includes a table perch, which in conjunction with the main props assembly table perches, provides at least a three point table support for a table that is setup with tableware. An elongated handle is provided, which attaches to the base, extends outwardly to a distal end, and includes a ground engaging base extending downwardly from the handle to act as a fulcrum to lift the wheels off the ground when the distal end of the handle is pressed downward, allowing an individual to setup a folded table that is currently in the longitudinal direction, or to breakdown a currently setup table. An extension extends from one side or the other of the hand truck to rest a side of the table while transporting it longitudinally through narrow doorways and passageways.